Special dishes when traveling to the highlands in Spring 2025 At Ty you should definitely try

GĐXH - January is the ideal time to go on a spring trip to the northern highlands. Besides the picturesque scenery and unique culture, don't forget to enjoy the famous and delicious local specialties that you won't find anywhere else.

A delicious dish from the highlands: Pa pỉnh tộp (grilled fish with mắc khén spice).

This dish is a famous delicacy of the Thai ethnic group in the Northwest region, also known as grilled fish with mắc khén spice. Pa Pỉnh Tộp is an indispensable part of festive meals during holidays and Tet (Lunar New Year). If you visit the highlands during the early spring of the Year of the Snake 2025, don't miss this special grilled fish dish.

Pa pỉnh tộp is special from the selection of ingredients to the marinating and grilling process. This delicious dish combines sour, spicy, bitter, and sweet flavors. For the best taste, it should be eaten hot and dipped in chili sauce, along with some herbs and spices such as coriander and chili peppers. A little corn wine will further enhance the flavor.

Những món ăn đặc sắc khi đi du Xuân vùng cao năm 2025 Ất Tỵ nhất định nên thử- Ảnh 2. — *The sweet taste of the fish meat, combined with the sour, slightly bitter, and spicy sensations on your tongue, will leave a lasting impression.*

Moc Chau's delicious stir-fried veal

Moc Chau (Son La) is currently an ideal tourist destination for many people to experience the beauty of plum blossoms. Here, visitors can enjoy ancient plum orchards with branches covered in blossoms, clusters of pure white flowers intertwining to create a blanket of white across the Northwest region.

Besides the scenery, visitors shouldn't miss the distinctive cuisine , including Moc Chau stir-fried veal. The veal comes from animals raised in the Moc Chau plateau. Although the preparation isn't overly complicated, this dish is incredibly appealing. It simply involves frying veal and serving it with a special dipping sauce made by the local people.

Những món ăn đặc sắc khi đi du Xuân vùng cao năm 2025 Ất Tỵ nhất định nên thử- Ảnh 3. — *Moc Chau stir-fried veal has tender and sweet meat.*

After cleaning and deodorizing the veal, it is cut into bite-sized pieces. To make delicious stir-fried veal, the stir-frying process is crucial. The cook must carefully time the addition of the veal to the oil just as it boils, stirring evenly for a specific amount of time. If it's too long, it will be tough, but if it's too quick, it won't be cooked through.

The veal is golden brown and evenly cooked on the outside, while the meat inside is tender, sweet, and thoroughly infused with the marinade. When eaten, the tender, sweet veal blends with the fragrant lemongrass and the crispy skin, served with various aromatic herbs for a rich flavor. Dipping it in the local special sauce, you will experience the essence of Moc Chau's cuisine.

Delicious smoked buffalo meat

When mentioning specialties of the Northwest mountainous region, dried buffalo meat is a must-mention. This dish is usually made from the leg meat of free-range buffaloes in the mountainous and hilly areas, resulting in a fragrant and flavorful meat that is not mushy.

The locals here prepare dried buffalo meat with great care. Large chunks of meat are divided into small, pencil-shaped pieces. Next, they slice the meat along the grain and marinate it with chili, salt, ginger, forest leaf juice, and mắc khén (a type of spice). Then, they hang it in the kitchen rafters to smoke until it dries out and turns a glossy black. Dried buffalo meat has a salty taste and a distinctive smoky aroma, and is incredibly delicious when enjoyed with chẩm chéo (a type of dipping sauce).

Những món ăn đặc sắc khi đi du Xuân vùng cao năm 2025 Ất Tỵ nhất định nên thử- Ảnh 4.

Besides smoked buffalo meat, people can also enjoy smoked sausage, black sticky rice cake, bitter bamboo shoots, and more.

Lai Chau mixed fish salad

This dish not only embodies the flavors of Northwest Vietnam but also reflects the rich cultural identity of the ethnic minority communities. With its perfect balance of sour, spicy, and fragrant roasted peanuts, this dish is both delicious and prevents satiety.

The main ingredients for mixed fish salad include fresh fish, thinly sliced wild banana blossoms soaked in water, coriander, mint, basil, perilla, fresh chili peppers, garlic leaves, garlic cloves, crushed roasted peanuts, mắc khén (a type of spice), tê seeds, and lime. A particularly important ingredient in Lai Châu mixed fish salad is sour bamboo shoot juice. After preparing all the ingredients, they are mixed together with the thinly sliced fish.

Những món ăn đặc sắc khi đi du Xuân vùng cao năm 2025 Ất Tỵ nhất định nên thử- Ảnh 5. — *Lai Chau mixed fish salad is easy to eat and a great way to counteract the richness of the holiday meals.*

Gâm River Fish Salad

A specialty of Northwest Vietnam, Gâm River Bong fish salad easily becomes addictive after the first bite because it's not only delicious but also unique. The rich, sweet flavor of the fish, combined with the slightly sour and nutty taste of the accompanying vegetables, and a hint of spiciness from the pepper, creates an irresistible aftertaste. The dish is even more perfect when dipped in its unique dipping sauce.

Những món ăn đặc sắc khi đi du Xuân vùng cao năm 2025 Ất Tỵ nhất định nên thử- Ảnh 6. — *Fish salad from the Gâm River. Photo by Pao Quán.*

Egg rolls

Egg rolls are a unique dish in Ha Giang, Cao Bang, Lang Son, and other regions. Like egg rolls in other areas, the wrapper is made from rice flour, but egg rolls have a special filling: eggs.

When eating, diners enjoy it with dipping sauce or poured over bone broth. The runny egg yolk oozes out when you bite into the rice roll, creating the characteristic sweet and rich flavor of this rice roll dish unique to the highlands.